Report Card: Sooners get a win over Marquette

Friday’s game against Marquette was the first of a big four game stretch for Porter Moser’s Sooners. All four games are against high major opponents. This game felt like as much of a must win as it gets in late November, and despite it looking bad at times, Oklahoma walked away with the win. They needed someone to step up alongside Nijel Pack and in the second half they found that in Tae Davis, who seemingly flipped a switch.

Here’s how Pack, Davis, and the rest of the Sooners graded out in the 75-74 win over Marquette on Black Friday.

Starting Five

Guard: Xzayvier Brown — 39 — 0 points, three assists, and two turnovers on 0-9 shooting from the field and 0-4 from behind the arc in 26 minutes. One word: Yikes. A rough game for Brown. Not only could he not buy a bucket, but he didn’t make the best decisions and over-dribbled at times. He finished at -25.3. Rough game, but even more impressive that Oklahoma won despite this. I’m not worried about Brown.

Guard: Nijel Pack — 92 — 24 points, three assists, and two rebounds on 9-14 shooting from the field and 5-7 from deep. Pack continues to be incredible. He kept this team afloat for most of the game. What Oklahoma is getting from him is insane. He is shooting 55.8 percent from deep through seven games on 8.7 attempts per game. He might be the best shooter in the country.

Wing: Derrion Reid — 86 — 15 points, a block, a steal, and a go-ahead three pointer on 6-10 shooting from the field and 2-3 from deep. Reid was great. He hit the big shot for Oklahoma, but most notably he was aggressive offensively in the first half which is what you want to see. This is exactly the type of performance they need from him. Really encouraging.

Wing: Tae Davis — 94 — 19 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, a steal, and a block on 8-9 shooting from the field and 3-3 from the free throw line. He also had an exceptional defensive possession to seal the win. This is exactly what I have expected from Davis. A switch flipped. He was an offensive hub for the Sooners and they went through him down the stretch. The ceiling of this team is so much higher with him playing this way.

Center: Mohamed Wague — 84 — 2 points, five rebounds, three blocks, and three assists on 1-2 shooting from the field in 18 minutes. He racked up four fouls. It didn’t hurt them because Davis played so well and can slide to the five, but Wague needs to limit the ticky tack fouls. When he is on the floor, good things happen. He finished +8.8 defensively. Solid game from Wague.

Starting Five Average Grade: 79.0

Bench

Guard: Dayton Forsythe — 49 — 0 points on 0-6 shooting from the field and 0-4 from deep. Also had two assists and two rebounds in 16 minutes. He finished -25. Bad game. It happens. Nothing fell for him, although most of his looks were shots you expect him to hit. One bad turnover but otherwise simply a cold night.

Wing: Jeff Nwankwo — 82 — 11 points and four rebounds on 4-7 shooting from the field and 3-5 from behind the arc. This was Nwankwo’s best game in an Oklahoma uniform. He was good defensively and efficient offensively, finally providing value as a shooter. He was a legitimate two-way player in this one. I’ve been critical, but he deserves real credit for how well he played.

Wing: Jadon Jones — 72 — 4 points on 1-3 shooting from deep and a blocked shot. Nothing too special but he was solid. Did hit a big three pointer to put Oklahoma up eight late. When the shot starts falling more consistently he will be exactly the 3 and D wing they need.

Center: Kai Rogers — 70 — 0 points and four rebounds in eight minutes. No shot attempts. On paper not much there, but this is exactly what Oklahoma needs from him. Give them 6-10 good minutes. He did that.

Bench Average Grade: 68.3

Overall Grade: 76.4

This game completely changed when Davis got going. Everything was better once they used him as an offensive hub. If you have him and Pack clicking on most nights you are going to be playing in the NCAA Tournament in March. Reid being a solid third option is another encouraging sign.

This team will need Brown to step up because there will be nights where Pack is off from deep and someone else has to carry the load. The fact that Oklahoma won despite stinkers from Brown and Forsythe is impressive. Nwankwo stepping up mattered a lot.

Defensively it was rough for most of the game, rough enough that Porter Moser actually went to zone. It wasn’t great but Marquette started missing shots which helped it work. This team looked much better defensively when Davis got going, and adding Nwankwo and Jones next to him helped.

Still, it was a poor day defensively with a 113.5 defensive rating. A lot to figure out, but getting a win and a breakout game from Davis is encouraging. Big test Tuesday night on the road at Wake Forest at 6:00 pm on ACC Network.

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